Flamepaw's Adventure
by fthn
Summary: A young apprentice feels bored and trapped by the clan boundaries. Her thirst for adventure takes her farther then she ever imagined, and she meets new friends along the way including a clan that was all but forgotten. However she meets danger at every turn and a prophecy of tragedy looms over her head. Will she ever find her way back home? (Please have read firestar's quest)
1. SkyClan character list

(Ignore this unless you are at the part of the story with skyclan, and then you can use this for reference if you want, otherwise please just continue to chapter 1, thanks!)

SkyClan Character list

Leader: HazelStar- Golden tom with deep green eyes. Unorganized, protective.

Special: Does not like to be told he is wrong.

Deputy: DaisyWind- Brown tabby she-cat with white paws and amber eyes. Serious but can be funny

Special: Organizes the clan

Med cat: OwlGaze- Brown tabby tom with vivid amber eyes. Quiet, easily distracted

Special: Knows a lot about everyone by watching

Med cat apprentice: SnowDrop- long-furred ginger she-cat with white legs and large green eyes. Practical and polite

Special: Understands her mentor better than anyone and defends him.

Warriors:

EndlessDawn- Long-furred Calico she-cat with sparkling blue eyes. Outgoing, boring

Special: loves leaf-bare

FlowerWish- light brown and white she-cat with clear amber eyes. Weak, complainer

Special: Seeks attention

SilverBreath- Light grey she-cat with white paws and dark blue eyes. Strong, optimistic

Special: Hides her true emotions

StoneBreeze- Light grey tabby tom with dull amber eyes. Angry, heartless

Special: Was brutally bullied as a kitten, turned him bitter.

DarkFang- Black tabby tom with glowing green eyes. Reserved, Clever

Special: Good and Evil is warring inside him, is influenced by StoneBreeze

BlueSmoke- Blue-grey tom with white paws, chest, tail tip and amber eyes. Determined, Competitive

Special: Tries to do better than everyone else in everything.

SoftWhisper- White tabby she-cat with green eyes. Tomboy, Brave

Special: Hates her name because she thinks it sounds too weak.

SunDrop- Golden tabby tom with white tail tip and ocean-blue eyes. Energetic, Good

Special: Tries to help with everything, but often gets in the way

Apprentices:

Frostpaw- Snow-white she cat with ice-blue eyes. Curious, Sweet

Special: Is constantly sick (Has cancer, but cats don't know what to do)

Shadowpaw- Medium-furred Jet-black tom with forest-green eyes. Silly, Brave

Special: Worries about Frostpaw and tries to protect her

Queens:

JadeSong- Dark brown she-cat with grey eyes. Mature, Neat

Special: Won't tell anyone who the father of her kit is.

Kits:

Lilykit- Cream she-cat with rich amber eyes. Imaginative, Cheerful

Special: Is the only kit and is spoiled.


	2. Prologue and Chapter 1

Prologue

"Kits, come here, gather around! Quickly now… Ouch that was my tail! Yes Whitepaw you can listen too, but you have to clean my bedding while you are at it! Ok today I am going to tell you a story about an apprentice that used to listen to my stories when I was a new elder. Yes, I know I am very old now but I wasn't always! I saw that eye roll mister! No, it's not a boring story, it's full of adventure! Now hush and let me begin….

Chapter 1

Flamepaw wrinkled her nose as she shifted the moss between her paws. Trying to touch it as little as possible, Flamepaw flicked it across the den to the entrance. She heard a huff of amusement beside her. "I know it's disgusting, but every apprentice has to do it." The cat mewed with sympathy. Flamepaw sighed as another bundle of moss flew across the den. "I know Cherrysong, that's why I can't wait to be a warrior!"

Cherrysong studied the ginger apprentice for a moment. "You know what always got me through it? Stories. Stories of warriors long ago. Your fur reminds me of one right now! He was ginger too, but didn't have white paws like you. Oh, and his eyes were green not blue. Close enough though, his name was Firestar. When he was a young warrior he and his friend graystripe had to go rescue windcla-"

"Not another Firestar story! That cat got to do everything! The lucky furball…" Flamepaw complained. "Lucky!" Cherrysong hissed in astonishment. "He had to deal with starvation, traitors, badgers, cruel leaders, murderous plots…. You should be very glad you are safe and well-fed in the clan!" She mewed. "The clan is so boring though! I want to go on an adventure like Firestar! I want to be great! I can never do that if I just become an ordinary warrior!" Flamepaw retorted.

Cherrysong glared at the defiant apprentice. "You will be great by spending your life serving the clan, hunting and fighting by the warrior code. No cat could ask for more!" she mewed. "You just don't understand!" Flamepaw yelled as she dashed out of the den. Cherrysong watched the ginger she-cat leave with sadness. "Starclan help that one." she whispered. Tears streamed down Flamepaw's face as she ran into the forest to avoid awkward questions from her clanmates.

She ran as fast as she could, her mind racing. _I don't want to be normal! Why can't they understand? All they care about is their stupid rules! I have to get away! But where will I go? And what about my mom? My brother? I don't know…I just don't know. _ She was so concentrated on her thoughts she didn't even realize she had crossed into shadowclan territory until she crashed into a pine tree. "Foxdung!" She hissed, standing up. She looked around trying to figure out how deep into the territory she was.

Flamepaw tried to find her sent trail but she lost it in a marsh. _Great, so now I'm lost in enemy territory._ She thought. She stopped to catch her breath. Despite her dilemma she was excited; this is the farthest she has ever been from home. _Don't they ever get bored of the same kind of tree? And with so little undergrowth it is so exposed." _She thought curiously. She walked for a long time without finding anything familiar. _Maybe I will see something if I climb a tree._ She thought. She found one pine that grew far above her head. She put one white paw on the bark, found a paw hold, and did the same with the other three. Slowly she started climbing. Once she got as far as would hold her weight she looked around.

Pine trees spread in every direction as far as she could see, outlined by the setting sun. Flamepaw was about to jump back down when she heard voices beneath her. Two Shadowclan cats were walking her direction. "You have to admit that was a pretty great catch!" A young silver cat said, his green eyes glowing with pride. The older black cat looked at the silver one in amusement. "It was pretty good, but that was day hunting. Even a Thunderclan cat could do that!" She mewed. _Even a Thunderclan cat? _ Flamepaw thought unsheathing her claws. It took all her self-control not to leap down on top of them. "Are you going to teach me night hunting tonig… I smell a cat, a really stinky one." The apprentice said looking around wildly. The black she-cat sniffed the air. "Yuck! That's Thunderclan stench all right! Lets go teach the trespasser a lesson!" she said, following the sent trail back the direction Flamepaw had come.

_Shadowclan cats, they never think to look up._ Flamepaw thought in amusement. She watched the two cats run off on their wild goose chase. _Well I can't leave now, their will be shadowclan cats swarming the territory at night. _Flamepaw sighed and curled up on the rough bark and closed her eyes.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Flamepaw was awoken by a jolt of pain running through her body. She opened her eyes to find herself staring at the sky. She got up slowly testing her paws as she stood, but nothing seemed to be broken. "Lesson learned, never sleep in a tree." She muttered. She glanced around to make sure none of her clanmates saw her embarrassing fall when she remembered where she was.

Excitement replaced the pain as she realized she could continue on her adventure. _But which way to go? _Flamepaw looked in all directions. Shrugging she picked one and started walking. The sun was high in the sky when her stomach interrupted her daydream. She smelled the air to find the scent of prey to be coming from beneath her paws. _Strange who would bury all this prey?_ She wondered. She dug up the pile to find two mice and a vole.

She was just about to bite the first mice when she heard a growl. Turning around she saw an auburn fox with gleaming white teeth. With a hiss of fear Flamepaw turned around and ran. She heard the paw steps of the fox, and felt its hot breath on her tail. She ran right towards a large pine and dodged last second. She purred in triumph when she heard it slam into the bark with a yelp.

Then the menacing creature got back and shook it off as if it was only a bump. Flamepaw raced away again as it continued following her. Suddenly she tripped over a brown tabby. The cat's gaze turned from anger to terror when it saw the fox, but instead of helping Flamepaw it climbed up the nearest tree. _"Thanks for the help!" _Flamepaw yelled as she ran off again. She knew, just like the cat, she could easily escape by climbing a tree, and yet something held her back.

Flamepaw was starting to slow down and knew she couldn't run for much longer, luckily the fox was tired too. Suddenly the fox seemed to give up and walked back the direction it came, breathing heavily. Flamepaw gave a sigh of relief. She collapsed to the ground, now more miserable then ever. She was tired, hungry, and angry at the cat that had abandoned her. _Were all non-clan cats this selfish?_ She wondered.

She was starting to think she should head home when she thought of all the boring days of training and chores, and all of the stories about Firestar. The spark of adventure rekindled inside her and she stood up refreshed. She wasn't giving up that easily! _Now first things first, food. _She thought. She sniffed the air and smelled a type of prey she couldn't recognize, and yet somehow she knew it was food.

She traveled towards the scent until she found a silver mesh box with a slab of meat inside. The scent of twoleg and fox was everywhere. _What is twolegs giving out free food now? _She wondered. She shrugged and walked into it, heading towards the meat. Suddenly there was a _snap! _And some silver mesh covered the entrance. Flamepaw was trapped.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

"Help! Help!" Flamepaw screeched as loud as she could. She listened for a response but heard nothing. She examined the trap. No matter what she tried the trap wouldn't open. After hours of trying to get out Flamepaw collapsed on the ground in despair and closed her eyes, awaiting whatever fate the night gave her. "Hey we caught another one!" said a Twoleg voice in the distance. Flamepaw blinked open her eyes in the early morning sun. Two twolegs were running towards her. The older one carried a trap like the one she was in, but instead of a cat it held a fox.

Flamepaw wondered if it was the same fox that had chased her the day before. The younger human stopped and looked at Flamepaw in confusion. "A cat? What should we do with it Pa?" he said. "Ugh, I almost though we had two foxes. Oh well, guess we best take it to the pound so it doesn't get trapped again." Said the older one. Flamepaw stared at the twolegs, not understanding a word they said. _Obviously I'm not a fox... so you can let me out now. _Flamepaw thought impatiently.

To her horror the twolegs grapped her trap and started walking away with it. "Hey let me out!" Flamepaw screeched and hurled herself against the wall of the trap. I response the twoleg jostled the trap until Flamepaw ended up on her back. With a yelp of surprise Flamepaw twisted herself around and wisely stayed still for the rest of the time. The twolegs walked to a thunderpath and threw the two traps into the back of a monster.

Flamepaw looked around in fear. _Did I just get eaten?_ She wondered. _Shouldn't I be dead?_ Shrugging, Flamepaw turned her attention to the fox. The fox's trap was uncomfortably close to her own, and for once she was glad neither of them could escape.

Then she noticed something else in the monster. It seemed to be another fox, but not inside a trap. As she walked over to investigate the Monster suddenly roared to life and started moving.

Flamepaw was thrown to the back of her trap. Painfully Flamepaw struggled to her feet. Determined to investigate the other fox she slowly crept as close as she could to it. Sticking out a paw between two of the silver meshes she flipped it over. There was nothing underneath. Flamepaw gasped in horror. It was a skin with no body.

Suddenly she remembered when her mother had told her about hunters. It had been a boring lecture so she hadn't really paid attention. All she remembered is that hunters killed animals, and that she must never go near one. The living fox yelped in terror as it saw the skin. Flamepaw couldn't help feel sorry for it even though she knew it would kill her if it had the chance.

The fox ran to the entrance of its trap and tried to reach the lock that kept it inside. Its paw was too big to fit. The way the traps were positioned Flamepaw knew if she reached out her paw she could reach the fox's lock, but not her own. _I'm going to regret this._ Flamepaw thought with a sigh. She stretched her paw as far as it could go and pushed the lock until it was lose. The fox stared at her in surprise and slowly walked out.

The fox barked in joy. It gave Flamepaw what she assumed to be a grateful glance. They sat like that for a long time until the monster slowed to a stop. As soon as the mouth of the monster started to open the fox burst out and ran past the two twolegs. They tried to grab for him but were too slow and the fox made it safely across the thunderpath and into the woods. The twolegs shouted angrily into the woods and at each other. _Sorry you are just going to have to torture and kill something else. _Flamepaw thought angrily.

When they had gotten over the fox they gave Flamepaw water and some brown pellets and went back to the front of the monster. _I'm not eating that._ Flamepaw thought looking at the dry, tasteless pellets and ignoring her rumbling belly. For what seemed like days they went through that pattern, traveling for long periods of time in the monster with the twolegs stopping to replace her water and food every now and then, though she never ate it. She became very depressed during this time, and started to miss the clans and her forest home. "Open your eyes, little bird." A voice whispered into Flamepaw's ear one night.

Flamepaw opened her eyes to see not the inside of the monster, but a starry forest. Her heart raced with excitement to be free once more. She was about to run around when a gray tabby tom with warm blue eyes stopped her. "StoneHeart!" Flamepaw exclaimed, choking with emotion. StoneHeart was her brother from an older litter. He died right before her apprentice ceremony from a snake bite. "Am I dead?" Flamepaw asked worriedly. "No, but you will be if you don't eat soon!" He lectured, pawing a freshly-caught rabbit towards her. "Rabbit, my favorite! Thanks!" She responded, quickly tearing apart the rabbit with famished bites. StoneHeart watched her eat with a worried expression. "Do you think you made the right decision by running away?" he asked.

"I don't know… I just wanted to have an adventure! Not become a kittypet!" She said in despair. StoneHeart nodded. "You have quite a destiny ahead of you now. But beware, your path leads towards shadow, eventually tragedy will strike." He said, his words ringing with that of a prophecy. "What?! Tell me more!" Flamepaw said as StoneHeart started to walk away. "I'm sorry, even I cannot see your future clearly, but I will be with you every step of the way." He said, his words full of brotherly love. "Wait! One more thing…can you tell mom and dad that I'm ok? Tell them not to worry." She said hopefully. "Of course little bird." He said, using again the nickname he had given her when she was a kit. She had gone through a phase where she was convinced she could figure out how to fly and would jump off everything in sight. He had called her little bird ever since.

Flamepaw felt her heart break as she watched her brother disappear into nothingness. "I miss you." She whispered as she started to lose consciousness. "I miss you too." A voice said as everything went black.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Flamepaw woke from her Starclan visit as the monster one again slowed to a stop. Instead of filling her food bowls, however, the twolegs grabbed the silver box Flamepaw was in and carried her towards a large grey twoleg den. Smells bombarded Flamepaw's nose from every direction. She could smell other cats and dogs nearby, but couldn't see any. _Where are they taking me? _She wondered. As soon as the mouth of the den opened she could hear multiple barks and meows coming from farther within. "Hello sir, me and my boy were out huntin' and we found this here cat." The older twoleg said to another one that was sitting inside the den. "Ok, just fill out these papers and we will take it for you." The twoleg responded. The older twoleg put Flamepaw's box on the floor and started making squiggles on large white leaf-like things.

_Twolegs are so weird. _Flamepaw thought. "So where did you go hunting?" The new twoleg asked Flamepaw's twolegs. "A few miles off Sanctuary Lake. It's great for trapping foxes, but if you get too close to the lake you start catching all these stray cats. It's really annoying, no one is going to pay for cat skin, and you can't release them back to the wild by law." The older twoleg said. The new twoleg gave Flamepaw's twolegs a disapproving look when they talked about skinning the cats. "That's far away just to go hunting. We have quite a stray cat problem ourselves, but the city is taking care of it. All the pounds are overflowing, and we have to start killing the animals after two weeks if they are not adopted." The twoleg responded with a note of sadness in his voice.

"No dad! What if they kill mittens?!" the younger twoleg said to the older one. "Now what did I say about naming the cat and getting attached to it? I'm sorry but life happens!" The older twoleg said angrily. He gave the white leaves to the new twoleg and then both of Flamepaw's twolegs left the den. A knot of fear twisted in Flamepaw's belly. She hadn't understood the conversation, but she recognized the look on the young twoleg's face. She had seen it on the faces of her clanmates when she was mourning for her brother. He pitied her, and was worried for her. Also, the barks and meows she could hear sounded sad and angry. "No! Don't take me back there!" Flamepaw shouted as the twoleg grabbed her box and started walking deeper into the den.

"Let us out!" "How dare you put us in cages?" I want to go home!" Voices said as Flamepaw got close enough to the cat area of the den to understand them. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw rows and rows of boxes with multiple cats inside stacked on top of each other. The twoleg ignored the angry meows and hisses and threw Flamepaw into a large silver box with two other cats inside. He then walked out and shut the opening. "Um… hi" Flamepaw said awkwardly to the two cats in her box. The tom was about her age, with medium-length jet-black fur and forest-green eyes. Behind him was a young kit, about two-three moons old. She had cream fur with rich amber eyes.

The tom stood protectively in front of the kit. "Who are you? You don't smell like a kittypet. Are you one of those rouges who have been stealing our food?" He said with a growl. Flamepaw gave him a confused look and backed up a step. "Um no… I'm a clan cat." The tom gave her a confused look. "Clan cat? But how?" He let his fur lie flat and studied Flamepaw closely. "Well to answer your earlier question, I'm Smokepaw and this is Lilykit, we are members of SkyClan.


End file.
